Heated LiveJournal debates about mixed identity
RM (a new MMW contributor!)
Over in the blogger community LiveJournal, members have the tendencies within the many different communities to get involved in ‘fandom wanks’ - so instead of actually articulating opinions well and engaging in open dialogue, some ppl just go off on the deep end and just get into mental masturbation.
The Interracial LJ community is devoted to (according to their user info) “people of mixed racial or ethnic identity and mixed-race couples.” Recently, a member of the community made an angry post protesting the creation of a new LJ community called “debunkingoreos”, who have a beef with those that identify themselves as ‘oreos’ (esp the ‘oreos’ LJ community), taking on the opinion that blacks or mixed ppl who take on that label are basically in-denial/self-hating of their black racial backgrounds.
So now there’s this interesting but at the same time sad all out war going here, mixed versus black - it’s even spread into the mulatto LJ community - see this post in particular.
Like most LJ community wanks, all of the arguments in these threads veer from the humourous to the depressing. I personally think that a lot of the posts within the debunkingoreos community are in jest - they’ve taken beef with mixed ppl identifying themselves as ‘mulattos’ (reason: eptomology of the word) and calling out on those that buy into the ‘tragic mullato’ stereotype.
It’s unfortunate however that many of the posters on debunkingoreos seem to totally buy into this thing that it’s ‘pointless’ for those who are mixed to identify themselves as such, since you know, white people just see them as being black anyways so hey! Just make it easier on everyone and call yourselves black.
It’s especially annoying when posters keep tossing out the whole ‘dominant race’ term - according to one “that whole schtick about being an oh so pleasant mixture of multiple races? that’s a blatant way of saying that one doensn’t want to claim their dominant race.” To read more of that, check out this specific thread.
tony wrote:
While it is interesting to read, I can’t help but think my IQ level dropped a few notches after reading all this anti-mulatto/anti-mixed diatrabe.
Posted 30 Nov 2005 at 4:49 pm ¶
Damie wrote:
Very few websites (usually moderated ones) are worth conversing on, because internet anonymity brings out the worst in people.
Posted 01 Dec 2005 at 1:18 am ¶
the hip hapa wrote:
My brain just exploded. LJ is just full of drama, caused by ignorant pepole.
I see this whole “tragic mulatto” paradigm also played out with hapas vs. the monoracial APA community. Acknowledging both (if biracial) or all (if multiracial/multiethnic) of your heritage is NOT denying the dominant race; it’s duality!!
Posted 01 Dec 2005 at 12:52 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:
Very interesting how they feel that every other racial conbo can be mixed-race (ie: Asian and Hispanic) EXCEPT W/B combos. I wish people would actually do research before opening their mouths. HEllo, “one drop” rule had absolutely NOTHING to do with genetics and EVERYTHING to do with preventing people from having power, property, etc.
Posted 01 Dec 2005 at 2:10 pm ¶
tony wrote:
Kaonashi, I agree that is certainly a bigger vice for black/white people who want to aknowledge their mixed-ness compared to euroasians /metizos etc.
Posted 01 Dec 2005 at 3:22 pm ¶
Danni wrote:
the major thing that comes to mind is the willingness of people in countries other than the US to acknowledge the w/b mix; Metis people in west africa and the carribean, “Coloured” people in S. Africa, etc
Posted 01 Dec 2005 at 9:37 pm ¶
arcady wrote:
I just found it shocking that it was people in multiracial community, who I gathered were themselves multiracial, trying to tell others it was wrong to claim to be multiracial.
And the notion that not only should multiracial people -not- claim themselves as a seperate identity, but they should ‘defer’ their own wishes to the desires of the ’single race’ people:
“The thing is you can come in but you have to be respectful of the my house.”
-That to me, reads like a multiracial person demanding the others admit they are inferior to single-race people.
Posted 02 Dec 2005 at 10:06 pm ¶
sb wrote:
That’s so true. There is a double standard in the U.S. whereas Asian/white or Latin/Anglo person can be either mixed or, in some cases, White as in the case of the late Laci Peterson, who is of Latina/Anglo heritage. God forbid if the black/nonblack person identifies herself as mixed. Black and nonblack communities would go full force in telling her to identify as solely black and nothing else. Such methods maintain the continuing racial/ethnic hierarchy in this country.
Posted 04 Dec 2005 at 7:28 pm ¶
Laura wrote:
It seems as though some people have retained the plantation mentality of house vs field or light vs dark ‘negros’. It’s an unfortunate that people still keep these attitudes in their subconcious and believe it’s okay to think that way.
Posted 05 Dec 2005 at 9:40 am ¶
Heather W. wrote:
As a half black, half white person who calls myself biracial, I got SO upset after reading all that. I’ve had to hear that crap for too long from stupid people. I want to acknowledge all that I am. I’m not ignoring or downplaying my black side. I love my black mother, and I’m proud of my African heritage!
Posted 05 Dec 2005 at 1:11 pm ¶
sigrid wrote:
I, too, was blown away by the ignorance on that site.
Two things I found odd:
1 - What is a mixed person’s “dominate race” and who determines that? That conecpt comes directly out of white supremacy if you ask me.
2 - I found it odd that the black woman participating in one of the threads accused the white/black mixed people of having no pride in their blackness when the mixed people I could see had amazing afros of differing styles while she - the proud black woman - straightened her hair. Hair is a peronal decision but I am often amused when black women with straightened hair tell me (a black/white woman with an afro - and loving it) I am denying my blackness.
Posted 06 Dec 2005 at 2:04 pm ¶
Dave wrote:
It’s great that mixedmediawatch.com is shining light on bigotry. I also appreciate what I read to be a defense of the right of white/black folks to identify as mulatto (which many of us believe has a positive etymology derived from the spanish/arabic word “mullawad” for mixed).
For a great pro-mulatto, non-racist on-line community with 60+ members, I recommend that folks check out http://www.mulatto.org.
Posted 07 Dec 2005 at 8:28 am ¶